Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Congress the U.S. can stay at war with Iran indefinitely without their approval. The 60-day deadline for authorization under the War Powers Act arrived last Friday, but Hegseth presented a novel legal theory: the current ceasefire effectively stops the clock. On The Daily, Eric Schmidt noted legal scholars largely reject this interpretation, calling it a bid for permanent executive control.
“Hegseth isn't seeking congressional approval. He told the Senate Armed Services Committee that a current ceasefire effectively stops the clock on the War Powers Act.”
- Eric Schmidt, The Daily
Hegseth’s combative testimony framed domestic opposition as the primary threat. He labeled skeptical lawmakers “defeatists from the cheap seats” and repeatedly used the term “Pharisees” to describe critics. Senator Jacky Rosen challenged the term as a historically weaponized anti-Semitic slur; Hegseth refused to back down. This rhetoric accompanies a purge within the Pentagon, where Hegseth has reportedly sidelined secular generals in favor of officers with a religious-nationalist vision.
On the ground, the war is a costly stalemate. Democrats at the hearing cited over $25 billion spent, failing to remove Iran’s regime, halt uranium enrichment, or reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, Iran has launched a new form of asymmetric warfare. As covered on Breaking Points, its “slapaganda” campaign uses AI to generate LEGO videos mocking U.S. leadership, designed to humiliate the administration in the feeds of American youth.
“They’ve realized they can't defeat the US through traditional media, so they’re using asymmetric irony to humiliate the administration.”
- Saagar Enjeti, Breaking Points
The strategic picture is grim. Analyst Dave Smith argues the conflict has transformed a sanctioned nation into a global power controlling a key oil chokepoint. President Trump, polling 49 points underwater on inflation, faces a trap: accept a humiliating military defeat or escalate into a broader economic catastrophe. Colonel Lawrence Wilkinson, on Tucker Carlson, added that U.S. and Israeli bombing of Chinese-built railroads in Iran reveals a deeper fear - losing naval dominance to Beijing’s land routes.
The administration is asking for a historic $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget to fund this confrontation. With Hegseth refusing to rule out military roles in future elections and recasting dissent as treason, the debate over war powers is becoming a crisis of constitutional norms.
